The Best Blackened Fish Tacos
My parents make these fish tacos all the time and I am finally getting around to share the greatness that is Blackened Fish Tacos with all of you. Gotta love those good family recipes!
I wish I could share a taco with each of you to show all of you how amazing they are – but the technology isn’t there yet. I’m hoping scratch & sniff screens are in the near future!
These fish tacos are absolutely divine and I don’t say that lightly. I am always on the hunt for a good fish taco and try them at restaurants all the time…and these are better than 98% of them.
The method of cooking your fish in a cast iron skillet with a bunch of butter is brilliant and gives it that perfect texture and crispy outside. You want to find a good blackening seasoning – I personally really like this one. It says it’s for red fish – but it’s great on all fish, I promise.
And the sauce on these, oh I could write a song about this sauce. It seriously has all my favorite flavors in it and I love that you get creamy and slightly spicy all in one yummy sauce. Oh and it has lime and cilantro in it. BEST EVER.
The Best Blackened Fish Tacos
Recipe Note: If you do not have a grill, you can cook these completely in the oven. Just heat your oven to 400°F and watch closely as the fish cooks quickly!
Ingredients:
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1/2 cup light sour cream
- 1/2 cup light mayo
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Salt
- 1-2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, to taste
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro, or to taste
- 2 lbs sea trout fillets (or any white fish you like), cut into 1 inch thick fillets
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 1/3 cup seafood blackening seasoning
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Corn Tortillas, heated
- Cabbage, Shredded
- Limes, quartered (for serving)
Directions:
- Fish Taco Sauce: Using your food processor or blender, purée all ingredients together. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat grill to 4000°F.
- Coat cast iron skillet with olive oil. Place cast iron skillet in oven for 10 minutes to heat it up. Once heated, move to grill that has been preheated.
- Toss fish in melted butter. Using half of blackening seasoning ,cover one side of fish. Place seasoning side down in cast iron skillet. Allow to cook for 2 minutes. During this time coat the side of fish facing up with the remaining blackening seasonings. Flip fish and allow to cook another 2 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly.
- Fill tortillas with fish, cabbage, squeeze on a little fresh lime juice and finish them off with a drizzle of the fish taco sauce and enjoy!
She is adorable – yeah for another saved animal!
Oh, and the tacos look great too!
You are way awesome for taking in this kitty! I hate how people just ignore/neglect animals that are lost. While I can’t take in anymore pets, you better believe I at least offer them food or water and call owners if there are tags. :
What a wonderful story! Enjoy getting to know your new baby. She is lucky to have wandered in your door. The fish tacos look amazing, too.
Awww…what a sweet story and she looks just like my sweet Clementine. I don’t know what it is about that color of cat, but they are so sweet! Good luck with the name picking! The fish Tacos look amazing, and I wish we could get fresh fish here. Grrr…
http://mycupcakejourney.blogspot.com
P.S. I too believe in signs. :o) And I think yours was a great one.
Your story brought tears to my eyes. We had to put down one of our “babies” about a year ago and it was devastating. We didn’t intend to get another cat for a very long time, but our surviving cat, Lucy, told us otherwise. She was BORED! So, we went to adopt a rescue cat…and came home with TWO! Two adorable brothers named Noah and Fitz. They are sooooo sweet and special to us. Can’t imagine our lives without them.
That’s awesome! I totally believe that this sort of thing doesn’t just happen by coincidence.
Welcome, Trixie or Pumpkin or whatever her name shall be. She’s adorable! 🙂
Oh. And the food looks great, too, as per usual
caesar was such a sweet kitty… he is currently playing with quincy. and we will see them again some day… i’m so glad that you are able to rescue this new kitten. i know how much you and jorge will love her! 🙂
Awwah she is a cutie. I had a kitten that looks like her follow me home from school when i was about 7. We thought of Halloween also so we named her Hallo. She was one of my best friends growing up. Even though I have 4 kids now all of my animals are my babies too. 🙂
Im looking forward to trying out the tacos!!
OMG I’m sitting here with tears streaming down my face. I totally understand your feelings. Our Bobbi died in April after 19 years of love and happiness. She was our daughter. A lot of people don’t understand how close you can be to a pet. I thought it would be a long time before we got another pet, then Merlin came into our lives. He is a huge bundle of love.
What a beautiful Tortie girl. She looks like a bunch of different spices. Pepper, cumin, chili, onion salt. LOL
Cat story really warmed my heart. I presently have eight kitties and one beautiful German Shepherd that I have rescued, who truly believes she is the Mommy to all eight of them. I could read heartwarming stories like yours all day. And yes, I am certain Caesar guided this new arrival to your doorsteps…
Ohhh Jessica… what a WONDERFUL story! I am SO happy to know that your new kitty will have such loving and wonderful parents!
Now then… your fish taco post was an answer to MY prayers, girlfriend! After my HORRID experience at the doctor yesterday (he asked me if I was PREGNANT, when he knows that my tubes have been tied!), I am DEFINITELY in need of every ass-friendly recipe that I can get my hands on. Thanks for the love, Hon xoxo
First, I have to say it is wonderful you were sent this kitty. It’s a symbiotic meeting of needs and a sign for sure that your old one helped you find each other. Halloween is a particularly interesting, and I love the magickal way you were brought together. I think “Zelda” would capture that if you’re still considering names. In German, it means “dark battle” which I think represents her trauma of being abandoned – but in later Yiddish interpretations, the name means “happiness” which is what she has found with you. 🙂
Just my two cents. It captures the moment.
Congrats on the new kitty! She’s adorable. This fish taco recipe looks to-die-for… I love those fresh ingredients and flavors!
I’m so, so glad you shared your story! My husband and I have a 1-year-old golden retriever, Gus, and we consider him our “heart dog,” meaning he has a place in our hearts always as he is just as much a part of our family as I am. So I understand your grief over the loss of Caesar. Please keep us updated on Trixie’s (that my vote!) story!
I usually avoid blod with cat picture. I love cats but they appear on way to many blogs ;0 But I made an exception for this perfection! GREG
Those look divine! And what a cute kitty!
Aww, I loved your sweet story! I believe in signs! We had a dog once that was truly a part of our family. I know how you feel.
These tacos look amazing, but I can’t shake the 1 stick of butter…have you tried using less butter with great results? I’ll give it a try and let you know 🙂
I love fish tacos, and these look really good…but I have a hard time believing any dinner that includes a stick of butter could possibly be ass friendly.
LOL Ok … First time on the blog. This is a recap of my experience thus far:
About five minutes ago I followed a link from Food Gawker because these Blacked Fish Tacos look so yummy. I got teary eyed from the touching story you told about losing one cat and having another stroll into your life unexpectedly. Then I really did lawlz at my monitor when I read that you categorized this as “Ass Friendly”. hahhaa My friends and I say that sometime we ~have~ to have two of something so our thighs don’t become unbalanced … would hate to be walking around with one skinnier than the other. =P
I’m looking forward to a leisurely stroll through your site! <3Nic
I have been having a hard time with my fish tacos because the juice leaks through the corn tortillas. I can’t wait to try your recipe! P.S. I LOVE your cat story and the meaning behind it. What a great page to stumble upon! God bless you and your family.
Congratulations on your new kitty!! I recently lost a kitty so I know your pain. They truly are beloved family members. Take care of that precious little baby sent to you from the heavens.
Awww, what a sweet story! And these tacos look amazing – the blackened fish and yummy sauce sound so tasty!
Every time you move you get a new cat! Really guys you need to stop! LOL Congrats on your new little addition.
You really need to stop collecting cats… LOL EVERY TIME YOU MOVE! Any way congrats on your new addition. Now Bennie has a new playmate.
Your post made me cry (and I’m at the office!!!) and then it made me smile, because I love it when people adopt baby cats and then they grow into beautiful and happy adult cats! I have a cat myself who “arrived” at my place shortly after a street cat I really loved died, so I know the feeling…
…oh, and I also love fish tacos. Almost forgot to tell you that =)
Nice photos of fish taco — very appetizing. I thought about sour cream for my fish tacos at http://desigrub.com/2010/09/cilantrofic-fish-tacos/
but used yogurt based sauce instead. I can appreciate if you can look at my recipe and comment.
You made me cry! That is an awesome story.
I’m new to your sight – – Happy One Dayaversary to me! I love it! I am a self taught cook (thanks Food Network) and I am always looking for new recipes. I can’t wait to try yours.
I have a kitten, Sheldon, who is the furry son I never knew I needed. He’s a big eater, so I think he was sent to me for a reason. Enjoy your baby. ^..^
Jessica, these look fabulous! Great story too!
Your sweet story really hit home. I rescued the single best dog in the whole world about 7 years ago, when he was approximately 6 years old. He is really starting to decline and the thought of losing him just breaks my heart. I know he can’t live forever and I have been so blessed to have him but I just don’t know how I will handle his loss. I loved your story and will remember it when the time comes. Thank you for sharing your story – and your fish tacos recipe.
I was looking for a fish taco recipe and I found this is my search… what a sweet story!!!!
Thanks for sharing… and thanks for the recipe 🙂
that delights this recipe, I try to do at home, quarreled loved
Hi, Jessica! I am making this tonight for the family. I just wanted to get a confirmation on the ‘Tablespoon of Garlic Salt.’ seems like a lot of salt for a small amount of sauce.
Hi Julie! I do use 1 tablespoon of garlic salt int he sauce, but you can definitely start with a little less and taste and see as you go! 🙂
Um. . . . . . . I just ran across this recipe. Has anybody realized the temperature for the Grill? Mine melted when I got it to 2500°F. What did you guys do to get it to the rec’d 4000°F cooking temperature? Also, how did it taste? I’d imagine it’d be a bit um. . . . . toasty.
I followed this recipe, and I think the grill temp may be a little high. My fish were vaporized as soon as they went in. I’ll try again after I catch some more fish.